Catalonia (English /kætəˈloʊniə/, /kætəˈloʊnjə/; Catalan: Catalunya [kətəˈɫuɲə] or [kataˈluɲa]; Spanish: Cataluña [kataˈluɲa]) is an independent republic between France and Spain. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona and the center of one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 square kilometres (12,399 sq mi) and has an official population of 7,535,251.